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Concert Review: The Decembrists

Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Taylor Pool
Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Rebekah Meiser
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Ohio U chapter.

           Opening with an 18 minute song about an Irish cattle raid may not be typical fair at most concerts. But at The Decemberists’ April 23rd show at the LC Pavilion, it was business as usual for the eccentric rock band.
            Along with fantastic opener Justin Townes Earle, a skinny little dude who can belt the ole fashion country, the band started the night with The Tain, an epic of the indie scene. The song isn’t as popular as some of the band’s other ones, but lead singer Colin Meloy and crew quickly segued into tracks from their newest album, The King is Dead.The band also peppered in songs from their past records, including The Rake’s Song from The Hazards of Love and Billy Liar from Her Majesty The Decemberists.

            The energy in the LC Pavilion was high. The crowd was crammed in front of the stage like sardines, which increased the excitement ten fold. Being in close proximity with other excited fans caused everyone to be even more amped up. Like many artists, The Decemberists are more impressive in person. The-five person band had a plethora of instruments that included everything from an accordion to a harmonica. They weren’t afraid to play into the audience’s enthusiastic screams. Jumping around stage and interacting with one another, the group did a great job making you feel like you knew them personally.

            They were able to take their best songs and make them even better. While singing The Mariner’s Revenge Song,which is more of a short story than a song, the group went through the actions described in the song, including faking the deaths of a group of seafarers. Meloy frequently chatted with the audience and asked them to participate as they sang, occasionally asking us to do some of the singing ourselves.
            Even if you aren’t a super fan of The Decemberists, they are worth seeing live. The energy the band creates can’t be beat. The two-hour concert flew by and left you wanting more. If you’re interested, The Decemberists will have two more tour dates in Ohio later in the summer. Visit www.decemberists.com for more details.

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Rebekah Meiser is a senior studying Magazine Journalism at Ohio University, with a split specialization in Italian and Art History. Like many Italians, she is obnoxiously proud of her heritage and fully embraces it by consuming embarrassing amounts of pasta, bread and cheese. She currently owes a scary amount of money to the government, but continues to masochistically check Net-a-Porter and Urban Outfitters online for beautiful items that she lusts but cannot afford. Rebekah goes to school in the middle of some of the best cornfields in Ohio. Although she finds the location less than ideal, she has become an avid star-gazer thanks to the unpolluted sky. A true lover of fashion, her friends make fun of her for playing dress up as often as she does, but she’s not one to be discouraged. Rebekah also loves to run (read: alternate between jogging and walking), read fashion blogs, bake, and read magazines (of which she owns a forest-worth). She hopes to live and work in New York City after she graduates in the spring.